Financial Contentment
Financial freedom is an elusive proposition. We frequently encounter the concept in commercials If we watch television, but we rarely encounter a person who is truly “financially free." Even when people have tremendous wealth, they can still be bound, lock, stock, and barrel, to their money. I believe that financia lcontentment is the true prize, and it is a prize that can be won. There are five components to financial contentment.
First of all, we need to have an eternal perspective. When we know that God is the owner and we are the stewards, we can put today's decisions into the right perspective.
Secondly, we need to make faith-based financial decisions. If we can say with confidence, "I believe God would have me to..." regarding our financial decisions, then we can be financially content because we are following God's guidance.
Thirdly, we need to have unity with our spouse in our financial decisions. Our decisions are not "mine" or "yours," rather; they are "ours" before the Lord. Taking the time to set financial goals and agree upon financial priorities and next steps with our spouse provides a foundation for unified decisions.
Fourthly, we need to seek biblically wise counsel. The book of James tells us that God's wisdom yields peace and other fruit related to financial contentment. When we seek wise counsel, we are participating in a process that will yield contentment.
Finally, we need to operate consistently out of a few transcendent financial planning principles. There are five key biblical principles: spend less that you earn, avoid debt, build margin, give generously and set long-term goals.
Rather than only pursuing financial freedom for the future, what if we decided to also pursue financial contentment in the moment? I believe that we would find it to be an attainable goal and a rewarding process.
Ron Blue
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Ron Blue is a guest author here on our blog. Ron Blue is the founder of Kingdom Advisors, a ministry that empowers Christian financial advisors who seek to integrate a biblical worldview into their advice and counsel. In 1979, he founded Ronald Blue & Company (now Ronald Blue Trust), the largest Christian financial planning firm in the country. He has authored over twenty books, including Master Your Money, The Complete Guide to Faith Based Family Finances, and Surviving Financial Meltdown. Ron holds a BS and an MBA from Indiana University. Ron is married to Judy and they have five grown children and thirteen grandchildren. They reside in Bloomington, Indiana.